


Marie's Coffee and Tea

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Peter Parker, Coming Out, Fluff, Gay Character, LGBTQ Character, Michelle Jones Needs a Hug, just a lil bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:41:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23771749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The best thing about working about working in a coffee shop used to be the free drinks.Now, it was the anticipation of a certain dark haired girl and a blue eyed boy. And when they finally came in, Peter couldn't imagine a better job in the world.It was a bit confusing. But in the moment, it was pure bliss.[the coffee shop au no one asked for :)it's just peter and bisexual panic. 24/7.we're going to pretend like endgame never happened and the avengers won infinity war]- abandoned work -
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	1. one

Peter Parker had only one thing on mind: it was almost closing time, and the stupid cat had gotten into the cafe again.

"You stupid cat," he said has he lunged towards it. "Come here, get out, get out! You can't be in here."

He groaned as the cat shot out from under the coffee table and chased after it again. He heard a laugh from behind him, and he whipped around quickly, only to come face to face with a very pretty girl holding an ipad and a five dollar bill.

"Oh, hey," Peter said. "Sorry. That cat keeps getting in. Would you like to order now?"

"Double shot espresso, hot, please," she said.

"Alright," Peter replied as he parkoured over the wooden counter and rang her up. "Uh, that'll be four dollars and thirty-five cents."

"Keep the change," the girl said and sat down at a nearby table.

As it was the last shift of the day, he was the only one working. He hummed along to the Frank Sinatra song that was playing softly as he made the coffee. Placing the cap on the cup, he brought it to the girl.

"Here's your drink," he set it down gently. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," she said. She got up, tucked her iPad under her arm and picked up her coffee. "See you tomorrow, Pete."

"Yeah, see you," he replied absentmindedly. He looked up. "Wait! How did you know my name?"

The girl was already out of sight. Peter furrowed his brows and looked down. He wasn't wearing his name tag. He didn't even have one. How did she know his name? Then he realized that the cat was still in the cafe. Giving in, he sighed and opened the back door, hoping that the cat would leave of its own record before his shift ended.

The next day was a Friday, so it was a bit busier than normal. Peter dashed back and forth, taking orders and making coffee and serving it as well.

He had just served a chai tea latte to a nice old lady by the window, and he half-ran, half-walked back to the counter to take another order. He paused when he saw the girl from the day before.

"H-hey," he said nervously. "Back again?"

"I told you I would see you tomorrow," she smiled. "Double shot espresso, hot, please."

"Yeah okay," Peter said. "Um, quick question, how did you know my name yesterday?"

"I didn't think you'd know me," she handed him a five dollar bill. "I'm MJ. We went to Midtown together."

"Midtown? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"Yeah, I like to stay out of the spotlight. Thanks."

MJ went to sit down, and Peter stared after her. _Midtown_. He'd almost forgotten that he went to that place.

"Here's your coffee," he said a few minutes later.

"Thank you," MJ took it from him.

"Oh, wow," Peter looked over her shoulder at the drawing she was working on. "That's really good!"

"Thanks. It's a project I'm working on for Uni."

"Are you majoring in art?"

"Animation."

"Nice! That's even cooler. Do you go to school around here?"

"Yeah, I go to Pratt. You?"

"NYU."

"Yeah, I thought you'd go to a good school," MJ mused. "Majoring in chemistry, I reckon?"

"Biochem," Peter said. "But close enough. How did you know?"

"Thanks for the coffee," she said as she got up. "Tell Ned I said hello."

"You know Ned?"

MJ just grinned at him. Peter stared after her as she left, until he caught sight of a customer tapping his foot impatiently.

Ned Leeds was Peter's housemate and best friend. They had been friends since Midtown, and they both attended NYU. Ned was Peter's right hand man, counselor, advice giver, guy in the chair, and study buddy all in one. When Peter arrived, he was sitting on the living room floor with papers splayed all around the floor and four laptops in front of him. Peter recognized one as his own.

"Wha- what are you doing with my laptop?"

"Oh," Ned looked up from his work, "hey, Peter. You're home late."

"What are you doing with my laptop?" Peter asked again.

"I needed it for a project I'm working on," Ned said as his fingers flew across the keys. "Hope you don't mind."

"Yeah, no, it's fine. Um, you're not looking through my search history though, right?"

"Course not, Peter. I'm not going to invade your privacy."

"You're a hacker," Peter deadpanned.

Ned looked up and deliberately dropped his jaw. "I am _not_ a hacker. How could you think so lowly of me?"

"Ned, that's your literal job."

"Side job," he corrected. "And it's _ethical_ hacking, thank you very much."

"Tomato tomahto."

Peter reached into their shared fridge and dug around for the food he wanted. He found a brand new jar of pickles and popped the lid open with ease. He reaches into the jar and takes a bite out of the pickle. It was tangy and sweet on his tongue, and he felt a wave of nostalgia of his high school years, when he could come home late from patrolling and eat pickles, despite May's insistence that they were unhealthy.

Speaking of high school, "Hey, Ned?"

"Mm hm?"

"Do you know a girl named MJ?"

"Yeah, of course," Ned looked up. "She went to Midtown with us. Why?"

"She introduced herself at Marie's today. I feel like I should have remembered a girl like her, but I don't."

"You probably just weren't in any classes with her."

"How do _you_ know her then? We had the same classes."

"She was on the decathlon team," Ned shrugged. "She joined after you left."

"Oh. Cool. Did you know she's attending Pratt?"

"Really?" Ned looked up. "She was quite set on not going to college. Guess she had a change of heart, like you."

"Yeah," Peter replied.

Peter too, had struggled with the idea of going to college. College was so _different_ from high school, and with his duties as Spider-man, he wasn't sure he could manage both. In the end, he had to give up a little bit of both. He wasn't "the friendly neighborhood Spider-man" anymore. He was "Spider-man, the Avenger". And he had to give up MIT, because it was just too far from Queens and the Avengers Compound.

He smiled at Ned, who was invested in his new project. Ned, too, had turned down MIT so that he could attend NYU with Peter. Sure, part of the reason was because NYU gave him a full ride, but he knew that Ned would have stuck with him no matter where he went.

His mind wandering back to MJ, a small smile graced his lips. He hummed happily, and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love ned he is my boi and he is underrated. i would kill for him.


	2. two

Peter stared at his Spider-man suit that was hanging in the back of the closet. He hadn't worn it in eight months. And now he was going back to Queens for spring break.

"Ned?" Peter called out. "Do you think I'll need my suit?"

"What suit?"

"My Spidey suit!"

"Oh," he stumbled into the room. "Yeah, you'll be patrolling, right?"

"But I was thinking that I wouldn't do that this week. I mean, I haven't seen May in months. I want to hang out with her."

"Then leave it here, I guess," Ned shrugged. "Will you be able to resist going out and helping people, though?"

Peter sighed heavily and reluctantly took the suit off of the hanger. He blew the dust off and folded it gingerly. Ned watched from the doorway as Peter packed the rest of his essentials.

"Why aren't you packing?"

"I'm already done," Ned replied. "Come on, we're going to miss the bus."

The duo lugged their suitcases down the four flights of stairs and quickly made their way to the bus station. They were distracted multiple times. Peter stopped by to help a girl in a back alley, and Ned stopped to admire a fancy car that Peter forgot the name of. Peter then got hungry and stopped at a food truck, and Ned was busy being creeped out by an old man that seemed to be following them.

"He's not following us, Ned," Peter said through mouthfuls of his taco.

"He is!" Ned hissed. "See? Oh."

Peter snorted as the man passed them and turned a corner.

"Well, he looked creepy," Ned defended himself, "and this is New York. Who knows what kind of a person he is?"

"Ned, he's at least seventy years old. I doubt he could have done anything. And I think you're forgetting my Spidey senses. Come on, we're almost there."

Peter and Ned boarded the bus and found a spot in the back where the air conditioning worked best. They settled down, and Peter got to untangling his headphones, while Ned pulled out a book on physics.

The pair sat in silence for a while. The bus stopped at another bus station, and more people got on at the stop. The bus was crowded and busy, and it seemed like everyone was going to Queens for spring break.

The ride took two hours, and by the end of it, Ned was asleep, and Peter had gone through is road trip playlist twice. Peter shook Ned awake and unbuckled his seat belt. He looked over Ned's head and saw May waiting at the stop, just like she said she would.

"Peter!" she pulled him into a huge hug and kissed his hair. "And hello Ned!"

"Hi, Mrs. Parker."

"Hi, Aunt May," Peter mumbled. "Can Ned stay for lunch?"

"Of course! Come along, Ned."

They went to Prachya Thai and found a table in the middle of the packed restaurant. Peter chatted animatedly about the classes he was taking, and about his new job at Marie's Coffee and Tea.

"How about you, Ned? What have you been up to?"

"Oh, well, I've been taking some online courses for my new job."

"Oh, the hacking thing?" May said. "Peter told me about that. How does it work?"

And hour later, the Parkers and Ned split ways with a full stomach.

"So, how have you been?" May asked.

"What? I already told you. I'm fine."

"Fine is not an acceptable answer," May patted his back. "Now, tell me what's really going on."

"Well, I don't know," Peter shrugged. "NYU is just a lot of work. I'm a bit stressed out, that's it."

"Stressed out, huh? Over what?"

"Schoolwork. Spider-man. My job. You know, the usual."

"Spider-man?" May raised an eyebrow. "You've never complained about Spider-man before."

"I mean, I'm not complaining. It's just that I'm not sure I want to be Spidey anymore."

Peter kicked a pebble on the sidewalk and sent it flying about twenty feet.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I guess," Peter ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, maybe I phrased that wrong. I do want to be Spider-man. I'm just not sure I'm up for being an Avenger. It's not like I don't want to help people. I do. But it's being an Avenger is just so _different_. I know there hasn't really been any major incidents since... since Thanos, but still, it's like I'm a different person. People treat Spider-man differently. There's a lot of pressure. And so much _damn_ paperwork!"

Peter threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

" _Stop_ laughing."

"Sorry, Peter," May rubbed his arm soothingly. "it seems like you're a bit burned out. Many people find themselves losing passion when something becomes obligatory; a routine. Maybe you should take a quick break from this Avenging stuff."

"Yeah, I know. I was going to, but I don't know if I can bring myself to. I brought my suit along."

"Maybe you can go back to being the friendly neighborhood Spider-man again this week. Have fun. It'll be therapeutic."

They arrived at their apartment, and Peter smiled brightly at May. He brought her in for a hug and rested his head against her shoulder.

"Thanks, Aunt May," he whispered.

She let out a soft hum in response.

Peter let out a whoop as he swung building to building. He let himself enjoy the wind against his body and emptied himself of stress. May was right. It was therapeutic.

So far, Peter had helped out with three petty pick-pocketing incidents, a bank robbery, and he even helped an elderly lady with her groceries. It felt great, being Spider-man again without having the weight of the world rest on his shoulders.

He looked down at the street from an old, run down, four story building.

"Incoming call from Mr. Stark," Karen told him.

"Uh, accept call."

" _Hey kid_ ," the familiar voice of Tony Stark came from the other end of the line. " _I heard you were back in Queens_."

"Yeah," Peter replied. "It's spring break."

" _I know. Swing by the compound today. I have someone I want you to meet._ "

"Who?" Peter asked, curiosity apparent in his tone.

" _I'll tell you when you get here._ " Tony hung up.

Peter scratched his nose through his mask then jumped off of the building. With the help of his web shooters, he safely landed on the sidewalk, startling a herd of pigeons.

"Karen, what's the fastest route to the compound?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gay panic next chapter


	3. three

Awkwardness. Peter could never get rid of it, no matter how hard he tried.

It was like a curse had been placed on him by a grumpy old witch whose only job was to make Peter's social life miserable. It was quite like a fairytale. The only problem was that there was no knight in shining armor or handsome prince to sweep him off his feet and lift the curse.

Well.

He was partially incorrect.

There was a handsome prince that swept him off his feet. The curse wasn't lifted, though.

He had a lanky build and messy hair that covered part of his face. Right under it, Peter could see bright blue eyes staring at him.

"This is Harley," Tony introduced. "And Harley, this is Peter."

"Hi," Peter shook his hand. "Nice to, uh, nice to meet you."

"Hey," was his only reply.

After a while, he turned to Tony questioningly.

"Ah, right," he looked up. "I just wanted you two to meet today. You're going to be working together in the future."

"Wha- what do you mean?" Peter asked.

"I'm an engineer," Harley said, "and i'm staying at the compound for a while."

"There are some projects Harley's working on that you could help out with, if you're up for it."

Peter's heart skipped a beat.

"Project? Like an engineering project?"

"Only if you want to."

"Y-yeah I want to."

"You sure?" Tony placed a hand on his shoulder. "I got a phone call from your aunt late last night. There was some yelling. Something about over working you? I think that was the general gist of it? I honestly wasn't paying too much attention."

Peter blushed a crimson red. He should have known May would talk to Tony.

"I'm fine," he said. "I want to."

"Great!" Tony exclaimed. "You two are lab buddies now."

The first time Peter had seen Tony's lab, he couldn't stop his excited rants. Even with Midtown's advanced science program, the labs could not compare to Tony's. There were tools and materials strewn all over most of the lab tables, but his workspace was clear and tidy. The computers and tech were of the latest model.

It was always a sight to take in, no matter how many times he had been inside.

Peter snuck a glance over at Harley, who was fiddling with a very strange looking gun. It had a very wide barrel and it was made of colorful plastic tubes.

"Why is it made of plastic?" Peter asked. "Surely, some other material would be more effective?"

"I just like it with plastic."

"Will it hold up in a battle?"

"Of course not. It's not for battle. I made it when I was ten. I try to upgrade it as best as I can, but unless I take it apart completely," Harley shrugged.

"Right," Peter said. "Why are you holding a potato?"

Harley grinned at him. "This is the best part. Here, I'll show you."

Peter watched with interest as Harley loaded the potato into the gun and aimed at the wall. He pushed down on the trigger and sent the potato flying. It smashed into the wall with a loud thump and fell.

Peter's eyes widened and he let out a low whisper. "Woah, that was epic!"

"I know," Harley set the gun down just as Tony entered.

"I heard a bang," he said. "Did you fire your potato gun again?"

Harley looked up at him guiltily. "Sorry, Tony."

"Hold up," Tony walked over, "why are neither of you wearing safety goggles? You know you have to wear them in the lab."

"You sound like my high school science teacher," Harley complained, but put them on anyway. "We're not even doing anything remotely dangerous."

"You're shooting a gun," Tony said. "You take off your safety goggles again and I'm banning you from the lab for a month."

"Mr. Stark, you never wear safety goggles," Peter pointed out.

"That's because I'm literally Tony Stark. Iron Man. Genius, playboy, billionaire, and philanthropist. I do what I want."

Harley rolled his eyes and Peter let out a giggle. It was an embarrassing sound, but thankfully, no one seemed to have heard it.

The rest of the afternoon flew by. The lab was mostly quiet except for the occasional chatter. Harley talked about MIT, which he graduated two years prior. Peter felt a sense of both jealousy and admiration when he heard that. Harley had also interned at another company for a month before he was fired, and started working for Tony.

"You got _fired_?"

"Well, yeah," Harley scratched his head. "They told me that I wasn't up to standards."

"Up to standards? What standards?"

"Following instructions," Harley said sheepishly.

Tony snorted and Peter smiled.

"Sounds like you," Tony clapped Harley on the back. "Hope you'll do a better job of following instructions here."

Harley let out a noncommittal grunt before busying himself in his potato gun. Peter watched him in amusement for a while before turning back to his own.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, "this shouldn't be this hard."

He was developing a new web fluid formula, something he hoped would be lighter yet stronger, among other things. He dug around his storage cabinet and pulled out his silica gel mixture.

"Tony? Where's the potassium carbonate?"

"I had U put it back in your cabinet, third shelf," Tony replied from his station. "That's where you usually put it, right?"

"Yeah, but it's not in here."

"Are you sure it's not on your desk?"

"Yep, and it's not in the cabinet either."

"Huh," Tony cocked his head in confusion. "I'll be talking to U about this. No worries, we have plenty in the other cabinets."

The sun had already set when Peter finally took off his goggles and apron. He washed his hands, wiped the sweat off of his forehead, and checked his phone.

He cringed a bit as he saw three missed calls from May. He hoped she wouldn't be too mad as he called her back.

"Hey, Aunt May," he said as soon as she picked up. "I'm so sorry I didn't pick up, I was in the lab with Tony and Harley and I got distracted."

He heard her sigh. "What did I tell you about leaving your phone on vibrate?"

"Sorry," he said again. "I forgot. I'm heading home now, though."

"Alright, be safe. I have dinner waiting for you."

"Great, thanks. I'll be there soon."

He gathered his stuff and alerted Tony that he was leaving. Outside, he was met by Happy, who drove him home.

"Thanks, Happy!" Peter said, getting off. "See you soon!"

Peter didn't bother using the apartment stairs. He scaled the building with ease, his mind completely happy and satisfied. He had made a lot of progress for his web fluid formula. It wasn't perfectly what he wanted it to be, but it was undeniably better than his last batch. He had also made a new friend, someone he liked immensely. And catching up with Tony, talking about college and his new job, was something he had been wanting to do for a long time.

For the first time in a while, Peter felt the stress leaving his shoulders completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> harley has made his entrance! and peter has a huge crush on him. we'll be moving back to the coffee shop theme soon, maybe the chapter after next?
> 
> i felt like this chapter wasn't interesting enough, but i have writer's block and i didn't want to keep anyone waiting, so i posted it anyway. it'll probably go under editing soon.
> 
> thanks for reading.


	4. four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's to the eight people that were waiting for me to update. y'all the real mvps. sorry it took like two months lol. 
> 
> when i started 'lumos' i got a bit sidetracked but i swear i'll try to update this one frequently. i'll get a new chapter up some time this week.
> 
> i love you and enjoy!

Peter was sleep deprived.

Ever since he had spent a week in Queens, bouncing between Spidey patrols and lab work at the Avengers compound, he hadn't had the time for his school work. Spring break would be over in twenty four hours, and Peter was rushing through his assignments and projects.

Holding back a yawn, he typed frantically as Ned watched with mild amusement.

"Shut up!" he said. "I know you're looking at me with that stupid smirk."

"I'm not doing anything," Ned replied, the smirk getting even bigger.

Peter— quite childishly— blew a raspberry at his best friend. Then, he started typing once again. He really wished that he had taken some time off from his lab work to do some of his assignments; he could have been watching Supernatural with Ned at this very moment.

But he couldn't, and it was all because of that infatuating, charismatic blond-haired boy. He had spent so much time at the lab because of Harley, working side by side and holding conversations. Not very _interesting_ conversations, but they were good enough. He'd even gotten to know the boy a little bit. 

A blush crept up his neck and tinged his ears. Pining after someone who didn't even like him back. Typical Parker behaviour.

He sighed loudly.

Ned looked up and took out his earbuds.

"What's wrong, Pete? Is it the assignment?"

Peter shook his head.

"Hey... are you blushing?"

"N— no," Peter stuttered. "No, I'm not."

"You are, though."

"No I'm not!"

"Are you thinking about someone?" 

Peter shook his head vehemently.

"Wait— is it MJ? The last time we talked about her, you couldn't stop smiling. And you said, I quote, 'I would have remembered a girl like her!'"

"Okay, no, that is an exaggeration," Peter shook his head. "And besides, I don't like her. I barely even know her!"'

"Mmhmm," Ned said, unconvinced. "Sure you don't."

"Really! It's not her!"

"Then who is it? Wait. I think I know. Oh my God! Is it that sciency engineer boy you told me about on the bus? What's his name... Harry? Is it him?"

"No!" Peter slammed his laptop shut and gathered up all of his papers. "I'm going to bed, and when I wake up tomorrow, you'd better not bring this up, or I'll skin you and feed you to the pigeons. And I'll _laugh_."

Ned looked unbothered at the threat and just gave Peter a knowing look. Peter stomped to his room, and when he heard laughter from the living room, he huffed.

He did _not_ like Harley. Well. He did. He knew he did. He most definitely did. But he would never admit it to Ned. The teasing would be relentless! However, he knew for a fact that he did not like MJ. He barely knew her, and besides, he couldn't like two people at once. That was absurd.

Lying down on his bed, he stared up at the ceiling.

Why was life so complicated? 

Why couldn't the respective persons like him back?

Why did he keep falling for people way out of his league?

Sighing, he flopped over onto his stomach and opened his laptop again. He had a truck load of assignments, and he _really_ needed to finish them. Fuck sleep.

Fingers resuming their typing, Peter shook his thoughts away.

They were a problem for future him. Right now, he had school to worry about.


End file.
